Dynasty
by PureChaos27
Summary: Reincarnation is a fickle process. You never know just what one might remember. Princess Yona has had dreams about a red-haired man ever since she was born. This changes things. At the same time, it changes nothing at all.
1. Chapter 1

"Princess Yona! Princess Yona please! You cannot just leave your instructor in the middle of your lesson!"

"I don't care about that stuffy old windbag and his boring history lessons! Besides, Soo-Won and Hak just arrived! Lesson time is over! Play time is now!"

Servant Ji-Sung sighs, crouches on the flour and tries not to cry. The little 6-year-old princess is a bit _too_ willful! Ever since she gained enough awareness to begin lessons, she would always argue that her instructors were wrong, missing crucial events, or just plain idiotic—especially in history! In the span of only two years, Princess Yona reduced over 50 royal instructors to tears using sharp, biting criticisms about their mental facilities and competence as scholars. If this continues for much longer, the palace won't have any more suitable instructors for the princess!

"Servant. Where is the princess?"

"Eep!" Ji-Sung shoots up to a more presentable position. "U-um, she went looking for Soo-Won and Hak, Prince Yu-Hon." He tries not to cower under the prince's intimidating scowl.

"I see." The prince strides past in a flourish of armor. "And servant."

"Uh y-yes?"

"Don't let me see you blocking the pathway with such a disgraceful figure again."

"Eep! Y-y-yes sir! Right away sir!"

* * *

 _Long ago, the crimson dragon takes on human form, descends from the heavens, and founds a kingdom. That was the first king of Kouka kingdom, Hiryuu. But not long after the crimson dragon becomes king, he had to fight with the humans. The people's hearts filled with evil, they forgot the gods, and the kingdom fell. King Hiryuu, too, was seized by power-hungry people. Just before he was about to get killed, four dragons came down from heaven. They offered to bring Hiryuu back to heaven and kill all the humans who had lost their faith. However, Hiryuu refused. He was human, and even if the humans hated him and betrayed him, he could not stop his love for them. The dragons also loved Hiryuu and wished not to lose him. To protect Hiryuu, the four dragons gave their blood to human warriors to give them power. One was given sharp claws that could slash through anything. One was given eyes that could see far ahead. One was given the ability to jump sky high. One was given a strong, invulnerable body. Warriors with the dragon gods' power led clans to protect King Hiryuu, bringing order to the chaotic kingdom. In time, Hiryuu, tired of battle, went to his eternal sleep, and the Four Dragon Warriors fulfilled their roles._

* * *

"Soo-Won! Hak!" Yona gleefully flings herself at her two best friends, knocking both of them over.

"Yo-na! I thought I told you to stop jumping at us every time we visit! It's annoying! And why do I always end up on the bottom?! I can't breathe!"

"Hehe but Hak, how else would I show how much I've missed you~?" A vein pulses.

The Wind Clan heir grinds out, "We. Just. Visited. You. Yesterday." The vein is throbbing quite prominently now.

"Ahahaha Yona-hime, we should probably get off of Hak now, he looks to be quite—"

"But I'm so comfortable right now! Hak can wait a bit longer." Yona cuts her cousin off.

Soo-Won vaguely feels like he's lying on top of a volcano on the edge of eruption. _Why does this always happen? Yona, even though I agree that Hak makes funny faces when you do this, poking the dragon never ends well! And, I'd better prepare to run now—and make sure that Hak doesn't actually kill Yona._

"Hime." And there it is. Hak's bangs shadow his face ominously and his calm tone does more to terrify his friends than any yell could've. "You have 5 seconds." He finally looks up just as a malicious grin carves its way across his face.

"Ehehe, Hak, let's not be hasty" Soo-Won tries.

"Three seconds" They bolt.

As they crash through servants and priceless antiques alike, Yona and Soo-Won look back and have to rub their eyes because for a second it looks like a dark dragon is soaring through the air, roaring its irritation to the world. Looking at each other again, the cousins simultaneously agree that discretion is the better part of valor because Hak is _scary_ so they'd better hide and let him cool down a bit.

An hour later, Yona and Soo-Won are in the cellars giggling softly together.

"Did you see his _face_ I thought he was gonna explode!"

"I think he _did_ explode in a way, or I just imagined that dragon~"

"So it wasn't just me? Hak really is a dark dragon…"

"But he's _our_ dark dragon…just one better left alone when teased too much!"

"Haha that's right!"

They lapse into a comfortable silence for a while. The cellar is dark and musty, with vague outlines of various barrels just noticeable in the darkness. Soo-Won is a safe and warm presence by Yona's side, and she might've drifted off if it weren't for— "Yona."

"Hm? Yeah, Soo-Won?"

"Why do you always argue with the palace instructors so much? They're all recognized scholars you know, brilliant in their fields."

"I can't really tell you why, Soo-Won."

"Why is that, Yona?"

"I made a promise."

What Yona doesn't say is that she knows the instructors are wrong. They leave out important details and events and never discuss different sides to history. It frustrates her because she _knows_ better but no one ever believes her. No one knows the truth.

Ever since she was born, Yona's dreams have always included a man with hair as red and untamable as her own. He tells tales of dragons, gods, and warriors, of betrayal, loyalty, and loss. He gives her the entire, unbiased truth and makes sure Yona understands that while history may be written by the victors, nothing is ever black and white.

He calls himself Hiryuu.

 **And there it is! My first story! Ah, my sister has been nagging me to start writing for a while now, but I finally realized that once I actually just sit down, it's fun to write something of my own. I'm still working on characterization and dialogue, but helpful comments are welcome!**

 **I just got kind of frustrated with the lack of Yona of the Dawn fics so that was my primary motivation for writing one of my own. About Soo-Won, I didn't include Yona having a crush on him because she's 6, and even though canon has her developing a crush on him then, I think I'll wait and see before adding it. I loved writing the trio as kids though, especially Hak—he's such a brat. I'll probably include actual dialogue and interaction between Yona and Hiryuu sometime to give more of an idea of how the dreams will change Yona. I wrote Yu-Hon to be a bit of an arrogant jerk, but actually I don't really know much about him. I've only seen the anime, so there might be canon plot events that I'm missing about him.**

 **All characters belong to Yona of the Dawn and Mizuho Kusanagi except for the few original characters! Thank you and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

A subtle breeze brushes through the air, sifting its way through the fiery-crimson locks of the two sitting on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea. Choppy waves crash against the rough edge of the cliff, sending up a misty spray that briefly obscures the view of the red dawn. Yona has never been to such a place in person, but she trusts her companion's memory and imagination enough to know that the fine details down to the taste of salt in the air are accurate to reality.

The former king gazes ahead. "Had fun today, Yona?"

"Uhn!" Yona nods in enthusiastic affirmation. "Soo-won and I hid from Hak today during hide and seek, though I'm not sure if Hak knew we were playing…"

Hiryuu finally turns away from the dawn frozen in time to smile fondly down at his reincarnation. "You pulled off the temper trick to motivate Hak to run after you and Soo-won, correct?"

"Yep! His face was _really_ funny! I thought his vein was gonna burst!"

"And what about your lessons?"

Sudden silence as Yona turns around and starts to sweat nervously. "Eh, well, u-um you see—" A raised hand cuts her off.

"It's alright Yona, I understand. I know that it can be quite frustrating to be forced to listen to so-called scholars preach about incorrect or at least incomplete teachings. However." His stern look quells the budding hope in the princess's eyes. "That does not mean you can show such disrespect to your instructors by completely ignoring them and even running away in the middle of your lesson."

"But Hiryuu—"

" _Listen_ , Yona. All knowledge is worthwhile, even the biased history that is all your instructors know to teach you. To understand conflict, you must know all sides to the story. I have and will continue to teach you the unbiased truth that I have observed from my time above the stars, but as the future ruler of this kingdom, _you_ must understand your own people. A ruler who cannot understand and connect to her kingdom is no ruler at all."

Yona looks down in guilt, kicking her feet to give a reason not to meet Hiryuu's eyes.

The adult sighs softly and brings his finger under her chin, tilting her head so that their eyes can meet.

"Yona, I am not angry with you. Yes, I am slightly disappointed, but you are six-years-old. It would not be fair of me to expect you to—"

"But I _don't_ want to disappoint you, Hiryuu! You are the only person who has always been with me; even father doesn't always have time. I want to make you proud and be a kind, wise, and strong ruler of Kouka kingdom. You already have so many worries—don't try to say you don't, I know you're worried about the Ouryuu! You shouldn't have to add my competence onto the list as well. I want to change things in this kingdom for the better, but no one ever _listens_ to me. If I can't even convince my instructors that they're wrong, how can I ever succeed as a ruler? Father just treats me as a child all the time, and when I ask about how the kingdom is doing, he just pats my head and says that everything is peaceful and everyone is happy. I _know_ that's not true so why, why does he…?" The little six-year-old girl breaks down into choking sobs before launching herself into her previous incarnation's lap.

Hiryuu looks down at the little girl who resembles him so much helplessly for a bit before trying to sooth her by patting her head.

"Shh, shh, it's ok Yona, you don't have to worry about me. The kingdom will run just fine for now; you don't have to change anything just yet. Yes, I worry about you sometimes, but that's only natural for me. Adults tend to worry about children a lot, I know, it's silly of us, right? I know you want to change this kingdom, and I won't discourage you from doing so, but there's nothing wrong with starting small. Try to make someone smile. Help out a servant who's struggling with carrying a load. Thank someone…" Hiryuu rambles on and on, trying to soothe the princess's concerns even as his mind works furiously to figure out just how he managed to miss this up-coming break down.

 _I never knew she felt so much pressure, was I the one to cause this?_ The dragon king glanced sorrowfully down at the sleeping princess in his lap. _I never wanted to—I just didn't want her to be ignorant! I didn't take into consideration her own stubbornness and determination. To think that she'd be worried about me! I don't want her to think she's responsible for the entire kingdom before she's even 10. But how? I suppose…yes, that would work. But first…_

Hiryuu carefully stands up, making sure the princess is secure in his arms. As he walks away from the cliff ledge, the dreamscape slowly fades away to a familiar room. The decoration is tasteful, Hiryuu thinks as he gently lays Yona down on her own futon. It isn't the garishly bright pink that most stereotypically imagine a princess's room to be. Instead, the walls are decorated with to show a beautiful forest. Gentle branches spread out starting right behind the futon in the middle of the back wall, climbing overhead onto the ceiling and reaching to both sides of the room. Among the branches, the only splashes of color are four majestic dragons painted protectively around the futon.

The futon in the center of the beautifully decorated room is covered by silk sheets of the highest quality, sewn with the detailed image of a crimson dragon. It's a miracle no one's figured the truth out yet, but Hiryuu supposes most people believe the story to be a myth nowadays.

"Yona" The dragon sighs, "I'm truly sorry to have burdened you with such a heavy destiny for being my reincarnation. Although I will try to prepare you for your future as well as I can, I fear that you will have many years of pain and loss to face. I know you will bring about the change you so long for. Not because you are my reincarnation, but because you are Princess Yona of the red dawn."

* * *

"…na. Princess Yona. PRINCESS YONA!"

"Up! I'm up! I'm—hm? Oh, is it morning already Jae-eun? I—" The princess cuts herself off as she breaks into a wide yawn.

The sound of an impatiently tapping foot interrupts Yona's morning leisurely stretching.

"Princess Yona."

The red-head freezes and robotically turns toward her servant, who gives an unimpressed look at her innocent smile. "Yes, Jae-eun?"

"Don't give me that look, Princess Yona! You know very well that your history lesson is first in the morning. Now up, up, time to make yourself look presentable. The maids have already drawn a bath for you and if you take too long the water will get cold."

A dejected sigh. "Alright, alright"

 _Hiryuu did say that I can learn from my instructors, so I guess I'll give it a try. The stuffy old windbag is so booooring though. All he does is go on and on about how our majestic kingdom brought peace and prosperity to all—he doesn't even tell the story of Hiryuu and the Four Dragon Warriors, the founding of our country! But I don't want to disappoint Hiryuu…_

Yona quickly gets washed and dressed before eating her breakfast (chicken porridge!) and running to her lesson.

Her teacher is an old man from the earth clan with squinty eyes, a balding head, and a long, white beard. He's dressed in the black colors of all palace instructors with a fan in hand.

"Ohoho Princess Yona you are on time today! Perhaps this time you will not run off in the middle of the lesson?"

 _I want to turn around and walk back out._ Despite various uncomplimentary thoughts running inside her head, Yona takes a deep breath and sits down. _For Hiryuu, for the kingdom, and for my pride because I don't want to lose to this geezer._

"Today we will be discussing how the reign of the sky tribe lead to wide prosperity…"

Nope, she can't do this.

"Ah, actually _instructor_ , today, could we learn something different? You are from the earth clan, correct? Could you teach me how the customs there differ from at Hiryuu palace? What are women and men expected to do? What activities and festivals are common? What does the earth tribe respect?"

"Oh," Her instructor looks taken aback. "But princess, that is not included in the original curriculum…"

"That's ok, I've already learned everything from the original curriculum." _Don't say it, don't say you know everything better than a windbag could ever teach, restraint!_

"But your father," He tries to protest.

"I'll talk to father. Besides, this way I learn what I want to know and you don't have to worry about me running away! It's a win-win solution~"

"U-uh, he-hem!" Yona watches delightedly as the geezer tries to regain his composure. "Well, if it's ok with the king, then I will change the lesson plans. As you know, I am from the earth tribe. We are a strong, stubborn people and admire those who…"

A smile spreads across Yona's face as her eyes start to sparkle at finally learning about her people.

"What about yourself? How did you become a scholar?"

"Although books were rather scarce in my hometown, I learned to read…"

"Do you have family?"

"Yes, I have a son who has given me two wonderful granddaughters. My son was a soldier, but with the war-ban…"

"Wow, I never knew General Geun-tae was so respected!"

"Indeed, he is an idol to much of the clan. But I still remember when he was just a brat long ago"

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I just passed by the room!"

"But-but, I just don't see how that's possible, the princess has _never_ enjoyed a history lesson since she first started them two years ago."

"Still, I'm telling you, I was walking by the Chrysanthemum room on my way to deliver the laundry and I saw the princess _asking questions_."

The maid's mouth drops as she stares wide-eyed at her friend. " _Asking questions?_ " She squeaks out. "H-how is that—what do you think might've caused such a change?"

"That's the thing, no one knows! She just woke up today and arrived on time to her lesson for once, and the next thing we know, they're discussing the earth clan with active participation and interest on her part. I mean, I'm not going to complain because this makes our jobs easier—we don't have to worry about chasing the princess down after she escapes each day, but don't you think it's a bit strange?"

"Well, let's just hope this change of heart holds for a while."

"Yes, I suppose that's all we can do for now," Both maids nod at each other and go their separate ways.

Rumor travels fast in the palace and before Yona's history lesson that day ends, theories as outlandish as spirit possession and a missing twin sister are flying around.

Yona, oblivious to the chaos her drastic change has caused, simply skips her way to her father's room to discuss alterations to her lesson plan.

 **Ah, I'm terrible at endings! I hope I captured all the characters' personalities well in this chapter. Is Yona too mature? She's only six, but since Hiryuu's been teaching her, I think her lack of ignorance would cause her to be more mature than an average six-year-old. I also wanted to show that Yona's not perfect by any means in this fic. First, she's still a kid, and second, even with extra knowledge, it's simply not realistic to expect perfection.**

 **I also know that her mom died around the time she was six, but I'm not sure if I'll include her yet.**

 **Thanks everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story, I really appreciate the support! Also, a special thanks to my sister who encouraged me to start writing and helped to promote this story.**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

A glint of gold.

The Ouryuu's wild blonde hair ruffles in the wind as he stands on an outstretched branch, a hand braced on rough bark for balance. He's dressed in a tattered cloak that may have been white at some point and the façade of cheer in his blue eyes covers a depth of age, weariness, and sorrow.

Zeno gazes at the familiar palace far below his perch in the mountains.

 _How long will you keep me waiting, my king?_

* * *

Laughter rings throughout the palace as a precocious red-head flees from her furious maid.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm really not!" she gleefully throws backwards, hiking up her skirt to keep from tripping. Sliding between shocked dignitaries and skidding around corners, the princess skillfully weaves her way through the busy walkways of the palace. A wide grin stretches across her face as she thinks back to the events that lead to this chase:

 _Princess! Princess, where are you? Are you too shy to talk? Well, I can't blame you; after all, I am the handsome second son of the Fire General! You were so cute earlier, hiding behind your father with those wide eyes~ Let's play together!_

 _"_ _Stupid old man-child, I was trying to avoid your ugly face! And who's shy?"_

 _"_ _Ah, there you are, Princess! Finally decided you were worthy of being in my presence?"_

 _"_ _Hah? I was just feeling sorry for you for being stuck with old-man hair all the time and figured I might as well help you out." The princess grins as she reaches for a string, "Here, this'll be a_ _huge_ _improvement!" A previously hidden bucket of violently pink-colored ink tips over at her tug, covering the annoyance._

 _"_ _AHHHHHHH!"_

That would teach him, no one looks down on the reincarnation of King Hiryuu!

" _Princess!_ "

"Oh, you're still chasing after me? You took so long to catch up that I thought you'd given up already!"

" _Why you—_ get back here right this instant Princess Yona! Apologize to the Young Lord Kan Tae-jun at once!"

"But Jae-eun, I don't wanna," Yona responds childishly and sticks her tongue out. "The stupid old man-child was being _creepy_. He kept following me around everywhere!"

"Old man—Young Lord Kan Tae-jun is only three years older than you!"

"His hair's grey; that makes him an old man-child" is the obstinate response.

"What? Oh lord, save me from the logic of stubborn little princesses." Jae-eun mutters to herself. "Even if he is as you say, an _old man-child_ ," she cringes, "did you really have to pour colored ink over his head to, what did you say, 'make his old geezer hair look more interesting'?"

The princess nods, eyes sparkling. "Yep!"

Jae-eun gives a defeated whimper and resolutely tries not to commit suicide via wall. _It's over,_ she sobs internally, _I'm going to be kicked out of the palace because the princess ruined relations with the Fire Clan under my watch. I'm doomed!_

A kind voice interrupts her silent lamentations, "Now let's not jump to conclusions here."

"Ack!" Jae-eun gives a startled yelp and hurries to acknowledge the king. "Your Highness! Forgive me, I did not see you. I was just—"

"Arguing with my six-year-old daughter? The princess of this kingdom?" She swallows the protests rising on the tip of her tongue and looks away shamefully.

"It is quite alright Jae-eun," King Il chuckles. "I just came to reassure my daughter that her actions this afternoon have not jeopardized our relations with the Fire Clan. In fact, quite the opposite! Young Tae-jun has expressed a desire to visit the palace more often to see Yona. It seems he was impressed by your fiery spirit, dear."

"What? You mean he'll be around even _more_? But father! He's a creepy old man-child!"

Yona looks pleadingly at her father, but he just walks away cheerfully with a "glad to see you making new friends Yona dear". She stomps her foot on the wood floor and tries to glare mutinously, though it turns out more like a pout.

"Awww, And I was so sure that it'd work!"

"Ahem."

A sudden trickle of fear runs down the princess's spine as she turns around to see a black miasma surrounding her caretaker, hair freed from its bun to writhe around a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Uh-oh…"

 **"** **Princess."** _Were her teeth always that sharp?_ **"Run."** Yona ran.

*3 hours later*

"She's a demon," the sweaty princess gasps out as she crumples on a wooden floor. Honestly, Yona doesn't even know where she is anymore. It's somewhere in the palace, but other than that she's got no clue.

The warm, wooden floors are strangely bare of tatami mats. It's interesting—most rooms in the palace aren't as empty as this one is. The room's devoid of furniture, and any decorations are out of the way, lining the walls or ceiling. Sunshine spills in through the open doorway, which Yona quickly slides shut lest her demonic pursuer find her again.

"I wonder what this room is for?"

Stern eyes interrupt her inspection of the ceiling.

~Silence~

Yona's eyes widen in shock and she quickly rolls out from under the woman, crouching defensively a safe distance away. "Wha? W-where did you come from?! The room was empty?" _She popped out of nowhere!_

The woman observes her without a word.

Mentally, the red-head wonders why all the women she encounters today seem to be terrifying. First a demon, now a ghost, what next? If this is punishment for pranking the old man-child, she's sorry! She doesn't want to be haunted!

Yona chances a glance at her latest terror. * _cringe*_ Her expression has not changed. How has her expression not changed in five minutes? Is she even human? Swallowing her apprehension, Yona succumbs to her curiosity and takes the opportunity to examine the ghost-lady in turn.

She's old. It shows in every aspect of the ghost-lady—her grey hair, the crow's feet crinkling the corners of her wise, wise eyes, the wrinkles lining her skin. She may be even older than Mundok, and that's certainly an achievement.

Stern. Proud. Yona isn't quite sure _what_ exactly tells her that this woman embodies these two characteristics, but they're unmistakable. Maybe it's something in her silver-blue eyes. Or maybe it's the perfect, straight posture the woman adopts so effortlessly. Either way, she's no mere servant.

Ghost-lady finally lets out a breath, fluidly rising up in a show of effortless grace. Circling around Yona and taking in her untamable hair, rumpled clothing, and ink-stained fingers, she lingers on the stubborn glint in the princess's eyes, thinly covered by slight apprehension.

She purses her lips. "Wild, disobedient, and spoiled, but I suppose you'll do."

The woman introduces herself as Myung-sook, the dance instructor and coordinator at the palace. Originally from the Kai Empire, she remains rather tight-lipped about her personal history in spite of Yona's persistent questions. Yona is to be her new student, and she immediately informs the girl that she won't be making any exceptions for her, princess or not. Yona will be held to the same standards as any other student.

"Indeed, you will have much work to do to reverse the current impression I have of you." (That of a spoiled, sweaty, miscreant) "Lessons are weekdays from 3-6. Don't be late."

Staring blankly at the door Myung-sook leaves through, Yona blinks once, twice. "What?"

* * *

He's bored.

Honestly, he should be above these sorts of petty annoyances, but there's no denying it. He, Hiryuu, 'the crimson dragon king', 'the founder of Kouka kingdom', 'the master of the Four Dragon Warriors', is bored.

It's not like anyone could blame him, he muses while staring up at the currently clear sky. He's stuck day in and day out in this place with his only connection to the outside world being his reincarnation, who happens to be a six-year-old, no matter how mature. It's been _years_ since the dragon chose to be reincarnated, and there's only so much time he can spend theorizing about his continued existence and testing the limits of his imagination in this dreamscape.

The day he chose to leave the heavens a second time, he closed his eyes with the full intention of never opening them again, at least not as _himself_. So it came as quite a shock to regain consciousness in a body he never expected to live in again, surrounded by empty grey. He soon received verification that the reincarnation was successful when a sleeping baby girl appeared a few hours later, bearing his iconic crimson hair. Primary concern appeased, the king attempted to change the bleak landscape, which immediately altered its appearance. Blinking in astonishment, Hiryuu set about testing the limits to his control over the dreamscape, eventually coming up with just a few rules:

1) His reincarnation's will takes precedence over his own

2) He cannot mold the dreamscape to show, or in any other way connect him to the outside world

3) He can't change his own appearance

4) The details of the dreamscape rely on his own imagination or memory

Hiryuu also brainstormed quite a few possible theories to explain his continued existence separate from Yona before narrowing them down to just two:

1) Instead of his memories being erased from his soul to have a clean slate for his reincarnation, they were just separated, forming an imprint of his previous life

2) His soul split apart with the majority forming his reincarnation, leaving him as the piece retaining his previous life's memories

But since he's done just about as much thinking and testing as possible already since it's been _six years_ , Hiryuu is facing what is quite possibly his greatest obstacle yet— _boredom_.

Well, he thinks as a fuming pipsqueak storms up to him, if nothing else, at least the nights are never boring.

Omake (a possible future depending on the strength of Hiryuu's persuasive skills)

For the next month, 'the daily history run' turned into 'the daily dance escape'.

"You'll never take me alive!" the six-year-old princess screams dramatically, ducking through the passerby in a way reminiscent to her 3-hour long flight from a demon maid. She's pulled a runner in the middle of her lesson today, so she uses an ornamental fan as a makeshift weapon to swat away any limbs too slow to move out of her path.

A tanned hand snatches her wrist.

"Mah, what are you doing, Princess? I've never seen you run so frantically through the palace before," Hak yawns, adopting a façade of disinterest.

He arrived 10 minutes ago to servants running around, desperately searching for something while hurriedly setting down their tasks for the current priority. Curious as to what could've caused so much trouble, he casually sauntered over to lean against a pillar, only to hear:

 _"_ _Not again!"_

 _"_ _What does this make it, the 10_ _th_ _time she's pulled this stunt?"_

 _"_ _I thought we were done with this when she stopped escaping from her history lessons, but now it turns out she's just exchanged one for another!"_

 _"_ _I'm more scared of what Instructor Myung-sook will do if this continues for much longer, I wonder why she hasn't dropped the princess yet?"_

 _"_ _I know what you mean; it's obvious that Princess Yona hates these lessons…"_

Hak pulled back, having heard enough. Just what had the princess been up to recently? He left on a hunting trip for a week and came back to find…whatever this is. Gazing at the servants running back and forth around him, he sighed. Well, since he came to the palace to play with the princess anyway, he might as well help out a bit by finding her first.

"You know everyone's looking for you, right? Screaming their heads off about it, too. Heard you keep escaping from one of your classes—"

Yona's eyes light up at the unexpected chance. "Quick, Hak, hide me! There's a ghost-lady chasing after me, and she won't give up. She keeps forcing me to attend her _dance lessons_ every day!"

"Wait, what? _Dance_ …?" Hak doubles over laughing, releasing his grip on the princess's wrist to clutch his stomach. "HAHAHA oh god I can't, haha, stop laughing, this is _perfect_ ," he wheezes as Yona pouts mulishly at him. "W-wait, hold on, let me savor this-this _pfft_ the thought of _you, dancing!_ A-and don't tell me, during these lessons, do you look like a chicken flapping around? Or is it a flamingo? No wait, a _duck!_ "

"Alright, alright! Stop making fun of me, I'm not _that_ bad at dancing…" Yona finally bursts out, crossing her arms and glaring at the boy.

"Pfft, yeah, whatever floats your boat, Princess," he distractedly responds and mutters under his breath, "maybe an ostrich?"

" _Haaaak_ ," the red-headed girl hisses, "Anyway, whether or not I'm good at dancing isn't the point. I need to hide from Myung-sook, or else she'll drag me back to that torture she calls lessons! If I have to hear another 'you must be _graceful_ , Princess' or, god-forbid, 'repeat from the beginning!'…" She shudders at the memories.

"Fine, I'll help you, if only because your teacher sounds just like the old man, and I wouldn't wish _that_ fate on anyone."

"Really? Thank you thank you thank you! Hak, you're the best, I love you!" The princess squeals and proceeds to hug the older boy in delight, letting go to twirl around in a little happy dance.

A small bit of red tints the boy's cheeks as he stares at the girl happily spinning in front of him. He blinks. Rubs his eyes. Blinks again. Nope, still there. Somehow the princess manages to break all laws of reality with the force of her happiness because there are brightly-colored flowers blooming around her with sparkles catching the light to form a heavenly halo. Another blink.

Princess Yona stands nose-to-nose with him, a concerned look in her eyes. The flowers are gone. _Was it just my ima—_ her close proximity suddenly registers and Hak jumps backwards with a startled yelp.

"Are you ok, Hak? You were staring with a dazed look in your eyes for a while."

"Y-y-yeah, I'm fine! Yep! Completely fine! Uh, let's go hide, you said you were running from your teacher, right? Yeah, let's hide!" Hak grabs Yona's hand and hastily leads her away, turning so she can't see his burning face.

 _What was that?_

 **I'm honestly conflicted about this chapter because there's about half that I like and half that I'm not happy with. For some reason, Yona's difficult to write a lot of the time, which might be an issue later on since this is centered around her, but Hiryuu, on the other hand, just flows onto the screen, and before I know it I've already written a full page from his POV. Hak is fun to write, though I keep dipping into Kakashi-esque bastard for him** **?** **.**

 **Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I ship Hak/Yona all the way and couldn't resist including a little moment there. Hak, sorry, but you'll just have to deal. It was an inevitable development.**

 **I've definitely got plans for Zeno, but sadly they probably won't include his introduction to Yona anytime too soon.**

 **Thanks for all the lovely reviews, follows, favorites, comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and please tell me what you think of this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last time:**

 _But since he's done just about as much thinking and testing as possible already since it's been six years, Hiryuu is facing what is quite possibly his greatest obstacle yet—boredom._

 _Well, he thinks as a fuming pipsqueak storms up to him, if nothing else, at least the nights are never boring._

 **Chapter 4**

"Hiryuuuuu!" The little princess whines as she flops down onto a plush, red cushion Hiryuu materializes for her. "I can't believe this. Father went and signed me up for dance lessons without even asking me first! And the instructor is this strict, scary ghost-lady—don't look at me like that; it's true, she can just pop up out of nowhere!" Yona continues with a little huff, "Anyway, the point is that now, I have to attend these stupid dance lessons weekdays from 3-6. THREE TO SIX. EVERY WEEKDAY. That's, that's wait a sec…" Crimson bangs fall over her face as she leans forward to quickly count her fingers. "That's three hours! It's stupid! When I could be going outside to play, I'll have to stay inside and waste my time on _dancing_."

Rant finished, Yona lets her back fall onto the ground, hair splaying around her like fire. Her glare, which involves puffed out cheeks and ridiculously squinty eyes, makes her look like a chipmunk, Hiryuu observes in amusement.

He leans over and takes advantage of the princess's vulnerable sides.

"Ah! Hi—ah, ahahahahaha! Stop, I can't—heehee—take it!" Yona rolls around, trying to shake the dragon's fierce attack, thin fingers futilely prying at the older man's. "HAHAHAHAHA stop, stop, stop, I-I give! I give!" Merciless fingers finally lift from her aching sides as the princess lays flat on the ground, gasping for breath as tears stream down her cheeks.

"Ah, there's that smile that's been missing since you arrived!"

"H-how could I, could I _not_ smile after that?" Yona wheezes.

"But your scowling face made me think that you weren't happy to see me…"

"I just ranted about my day to you, there's no way that's true!"

"Heh,"

"What was that 'heh'? Did you just 'heh' at me? After I spilled all of my worries out in front of you?!"

"Yona, you spill all of your worries out in front of me every day."

The princess's face reddens. "Th-that's not the point!"

"Well anyway, since you so kindly brought it up, let's discuss your worries!" The dragon king exclaims cheerfully.

Yona glowers. That _face_. That innocent smile with its closed eyes and the red hair falling gracefully _just so_ …if she hadn't grown up seeing Hiryuu every night, she might've fallen for it herself. It might've been truly innocent when he was still alive thousands of years ago, but _now_ , now it's the premonition of an ancient being's boredom finding an outlet in a six-year-old's suffering.

"Now now, let's not be too melodramatic, shall we?"

 _He read my mind!_

"Yona, the focus of this talk is about your dance lessons, not my mind-reading capabilities. Now, what is your main contention: the dancing itself or the fact that your father failed to consult you before signing you up?"

Shooting one last petulant glare at her companion, Yona pouts. "It's not like I don't like dancing or anything, but I'm not very graceful either—father knows that too! And Soo-won will be nice and supportive, but _Hak_ …"

A weight on her head interrupts her mental image of Hak doubling over with laughter. Looking sideways to see purple eyes sparkling with amusement, she immediately chooses the most logical option.

She jabs a hand into his side.

…

The Crimson Dragon King, Founder of Kouka Kingdom, Master of the Four Dragon Warriors, crumples, keening in pain.

The little demon beams innocently.

"So!" She chirps over her previous incarnation's whimpers, "Let's continue."

Hiryuu finally sighs as he unfolds into a slightly more dignified position. "Yona dear, but have you not considered any of the potential positives to learning the art of dance?"

Cocking her head to the side, she gives him a blank look. "No, I haven't. Why?"

Another sigh. "Maybe it's better if I showed you. Here." The dragon king holds out his hand for her to take and gently tightens his hold, closing his eyes in concentration. Sharing memories is tricky, but doable given their shared soul. He focuses on the memory he wants the princess to see, and _pushes._

Yona's eyes fly shut.

 **Memory**

Bright colors. Strips of silk flowing through the air. The swish of high-quality fabric.

It's all familiar to the young princess, and yet so, so different. She doesn't recognize the fashions all around her, and the palace; it looks so _new_. The tapestries on the walls aren't the same. The wood flooring at her feet is a different kind than it should be. All of the furniture is old—out dated. Countless little differences transform what should be a familiar scene to something alien.

"King Hiryuu, are you enjoying the performance?"

She looks to her side to see a green-haired man with sharp teeth. _What? Hiryuu?_ "The dancers are very skilled. It's a beautiful performance." Her mouth moves on its own to form the words. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the flash of a reflection and turns her head to see… _Hiryuu? But it's me? I'm Hiryuu?_

"My king! Aren't the dancers pretty? Look at the one in the middle! How is she waving those ribbons around without tripping on them?" There's a cheerful boy with a wild mane of yellow hair invading her vision. _Who is he? Wait…_ Yona looks around and… _yellow, green, blue, white, the Four Dragon Warriors? This is, these are Hiryuu's memories! Why would he—? Oh, the dancers._ Finally turning her attention to the Yellow Dragon, she smiles.

"Yes, they are, Zeno. And all of the dancers here have been learning this art for many years."

"Oh yeah, that's true. Ya know, dancing is kinda like swordsmanship, huh? Like, when I see you fight, you're always so graceful; it's like you're dancing." The blonde hops away, oblivious to the shock on Yona's face. _Like…swordsmanship?_ She looks back to the dance, sees the way they're always aware of their bodies, how every move flows into the next with no hesitation.

One girl brings out an ornamental fan, snapping it open and using it as an extension of her body. Her intricate footwork would make a lesson woman stumble, but she makes it look effortless.

 _She's beautiful. But could I do that?_ She furiously shakes her head, fire burning in her eyes. _No, if I want to do something, I'll definitely do it! I see what you wanted me to realize, Hiryuu, but before I leave…_ the princess takes another looks around the room, memorizing the shining happiness of her Yellow Dragon, surrounded by all three of his brothers. She refuses to let his past be forgotten. _I'll find you, all of you._

 **End Memory**

"Hiryuu, you're a GENIUS!" Yona exclaims in glee as she glomps the dragon. "I can't believe I didn't see it before, but dancing is the perfect way to get the basics of learning a sword down without going against Father."

"I'm glad you agree, Yona, but could you let go of me?" The princess looks down to see her previous incarnation's face gain a blue tint.

"Ah! Oops, sorry," she says sheepishly.

"…you're surprisingly strong for a princess."

"What's that supposed to mean? Ever since you made fun of me for having 'noodle arms' and joked about a possible training regimen, I've followed it ever since. It was really hard trying to figure out how to get in a run every day without father finding out, you know! I had to create an excuse about wanting to keep up with Soo-won and Hak when he found out. I've even increased its difficulty when I got used to the torture!"

The princess is really adorable when she's indignant, but wait— "You actually took it upon yourself to follow that training regimen? It was a joke; you were four years old! How did you even know what half of those exercises were?"

"Oh I just asked Hak," Yona waves off.

"You just—Princess Yona, you never fail to surprise me," Hiryuu says, chuckling. "Anyway, I believe our time is almost up, so you'd better—" Yona fades away "and there she goes."

He lays down on his cushion, staring at the sky. "Why do I even bother being surprised; I should know by now that when that girl decides to do something, her stubbornness will never allow her to back down from it."

It's silent for a few moments.

"Aaaaand I'm bored again." *sigh*

(One week later)

Hak lazily paces through the wooden walkways of the palace, enjoying the quiet, peaceful—wait, peaceful? The palace hasn't been _peaceful_ since the old man adopted him and brought him over to visit for the first time! Eye twitching, the black-haired boy moves to the shadows, creeping along the walls like a super stealthy ninja. Obviously, something is very, very wrong in the palace today. There's no way the princess would _ever_ let such a nice day pass without a decent helping of chaos—it would go against the laws of the kingdom, no the _world_. Where are the screaming maids? The dull thumping of running feet? The giggles floating all over the palace?

Peeking around a corner without noticing the quietly chuckling maids observing him, Hak's eyes narrow, gives himself the all clear, and continues with his mission.

(A floor above)

"Should we stop him?" Maid One whispers to Maid Two.

Two softly reassures, "No, no, let him be a ninja for a while longer, no harm in it after all,"

"Yes, you're right, and he's so cute! I wonder if he'll find the princess?"

"Shh, we don't want him to hear us."

"Right, right, oh he just turned around the corner."

"Better get back to work then."

"Of course."

Adopting professional guises once more, the two maids seamlessly meld back into the flow of servants' work.

Hak's just about ready to give up.

 _Who knew being a ninja could be so hard?_ He thinks idly while creeping around yet another corner. _And just how big is this palace? All the walkways look the same; if it weren't for the changing scenery outside, I'd think I've been walking in circles. Come to think of it…this tapestry looks familiar. Haven't I? Wait, fiddlesticks, I_ _ **am**_ _walking in circles! I've passed that tapestry before, and that fountain, and that tree!_ Hak stops to take his anger out on a nearby door.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WHERE AM I?"

The door slams open.

"WHO THE HELL PUNCHED THE—Hak? What are you doing?"

Hak, who had flown across the courtyard and was brandishing a stick violently stops and stares.

"Princess? I was just (pretending to be a ninja)" He blushes and shakes his head. "That's not important! What are _you_ doing; I don't think I've ever seen you so, so, so," he tries to get out as his arms flail around in the general direction of the princess. Yona, for her part, looks blankly at her childhood friend in incomprehension, paying absolutely no mind to the sweat soaking her simple clothes or the way her wild hair has seemingly taken a life of its own.

Cutting through Hak's senseless ramblings about hyenas, happy-go-lucky kings, and pranks, Yona tilts her head to the side. "Do you want to come in, Hak? Or are you just going to stay up that tree forever?"

"Tree? Wha, oh yeah, sure I'll come in," Hak says as he slips out of the tree and tries to gather the tattered remains of his dignity. "Just, Princess, what _are_ you doing? You're covered in sweat…"

"Oh this? This is normal; Instructor Myung-sook pushes me really hard in my dance lessons."

"That's nice," Hak nods agreeably, examining his nails. Then he registers that last bit. "Wait. _Dancing?_ "

In another time and another universe, this might have been the moment that Yona's childhood friend bursts out laughing, but in this particular circumstance, faced with the sweaty evidence of the princess's unyielding dedication to her current topic of interest, Hak could only stand there, gaping.

Yona smacks him in the head with an ornamental fan. "Well don't just stand there catching flies, are you coming or not?"

"Ouch! How does a _paper fan_ hurt so much? Ok, ok, stop brandishing that fan like the weapon it's not, how long have you been taking these lessons anyway?"

"Every day for a week, three hours a day."

"Never would've thought you the type to have that much discipline."

"Oh, I usually wouldn't, but you'll see once you meet Instructor Myung-sook. She's…let's just say that she and Mundok should never meet."

"That bad? Sucks to be us."

"Yep." The two kids both sigh simultaneously.

(Flashback)

 _"_ _Hak, wake up it's time to train!"_

 _"_ _Jiji it's five in the morning! No sane person would wake up at this hour," a seven-year-old Hak shoots back with a pillow to Mundok's face._

 _"_ _You brat! Call me Grandpa! Where is your respect?"_

Hak shakes his head with a shudder, quickly disrupting that terrifying vision. "Alright! So are you gonna show me your skills or not?"

"Just you wait! I'll awe you with my skills!" The princess drags Hak inside the room, making sure to slide the door shut behind them before leading Hak to a place by the wall. "You can sit here. This is my personal extra practice time, so no one's using this room right now."

"Wow, I'm impressed. You're dedicated enough to practice on your own? That's new."

"Do you want to watch or not? Be a good audience and stay quiet."

Yona flits around the room, making sure the floor is clear before taking a pose in the middle. She takes a breath. Raises an arm—

"Princess Yona!" The door slams open. "What did I tell you about practicing on your own? While I appreciate the dedication you've suddenly acquired for the art of dance, the last time you did this you nearly twisted an ankle. That's why I have _specifically_ banned you from this room outside of designated class hours. You may be the princess of this kingdom, Princess Yona, but _I_ am still your teacher, and…"

Hak watches the old lady lecture the princess with wide eyes. The terrifying part is that, for some reason, he keeps replacing Princess and Myung-sook with himself and Mundok. The dark cloud of doom surrounding the elder lady, the way the princess keeps getting even smaller, the looming height difference—he looks away with a shudder.

Mentally apologizing to Yona, he adopts, for the second time that day, a ninja persona and quietly creeps along the bare walls toward sweet freedom. Stay silent, stick to the shadows. A ninja is invisible. He's almost there! Just one more step, fingers just barely grazing the door— "And what do you think you're doing, young man?"

Crap, he was _so close_! Just a bit more…feeling more than seeing the imposing lady's presence appear right behind him, Hak woodenly turns around, adopting an innocent smile moments too late.

"A-ahaha! Well, you see, the sun just looked so inviting, I couldn't resist! And you and the princess seemed busy so I just…" he trails off, keeping the smile on through sheer willpower. Shoot, he's just digging himself deeper, and Princess Yona definitely won't help him _now_ —she's been glaring daggers at him ever since he turned around. Ok, ok, how to get out of this. He's the mature nine-year-old adopted grandson of the Wind General Mundok! He's been called a tactical genius all across Kouka Kingdom! _Of course_ he can think of some way out of this mess.

Hak bolts for the door.

It's quiet today.

Bright sunlight spills into a lavish room, setting the various piles of paperwork precariously stacked all over a wide, mahogany desk aglow. Somewhat hidden behind the bane of all rulers, King Il reads through never-ending reports of his kingdom tirelessly. There's a crease between his eyebrows that he never shows his daughter, evidence of hard decisions and a failing kingdom.

Peace is never easy to obtain, and is harder yet to maintain.

The Earth Clan wants to fight. The Fire Clan wants power. The Water Clan will not go out of its way to help the kingdom. Even his own Sky Clan raises countless doubts over his competence, whispering behind closed doors that his elder brother should've been the rightful king.

Only the Wind Clan forever stands behind him.

He wants Yona to be able to grow up carefree, without any worries. She need not know about how fragile peace is, or of the corruption and poverty that run rampant in his kingdom. For if she knows nothing, the people cannot condemn her for inaction. She must be kept safe.

In the distance, he hears a woman scream, " _Get back here you brat!_ "

King Il chuckles, "I wonder what Yona did this time? Perhaps young Hak is with her today. I'm glad. It was getting to be a bit too quiet in the palace."

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry this took so long to write! I've been super, super busy these past few weeks with studying for SAT's and planning for college essays, ugh. And this is kind of short too, but I just wanted to get something out before school started.**

 **Childhood arc will probably continue on for a while longer, but I'm going to move on with the storyline soon, if not in the next chapter. If you have any requests, suggestions, helpful comments, tips for improvement, etc. just leave a review! I've got a basic idea for where I want to take this, but the details are all up in the air.**

 **Tell me what you think!**


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